Eye Tracking Makes the Musical Eye Conductor for Everyone!

For his final project at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, [Andreas Refsgaard] decided to make something that matters : a system that allows anyone to control a musical instrument using only their eyes and facial expressions. Someone should enter this into a certain contest that’s running…

Dubbed the Eye Conductor, [Andreas] has created a highly customizable system that allows for a control interface that can be operated using only your eyes, and some facial expressions. Designed with the intent to allow everyone to enjoy playing music, [Andreas] user test the system at schools, housing communities for people with physical disabilities, and anyone he could find in a wheel chair. His intent is to continue the project so that all people can enjoy playing music.

The system is open, designed for inclusion and can be customised to fit the physical abilities of whoever is using it.

Not to mention keeping it accessible — requiring only a $99 eye tracker and a webcam. It utilizes FaceOSC by [Kyle McDonald] for face tracking.

The current setup allows you to pick notes using your eyes — you can raise your eyebrows to transpose notes up an octave, or open your mouth to add a delay (or other effects).

I was suspecting a riff player. I am pleased it can actually let you select a note at will. The most handicapped instrument case I read about was a patient that could not even purse their lips together, so they put a rubber hose in their nose and they could make notes on a harmonic flute which has no finger holes and works by breath alone.